Dear Students

For more than nine months, we greet each other with this same greeting. We do not discover that each day, we create our own history. What happened everyday are all episodes – episodes of our personal history. Yet – we repeat our mistakes. We do not reflect that history expect us not to do it.

One lesson that I would like to impart with you is that, history do not repeat itself. We cannot recreate what happened, restore our relationships, repair our wrong doings, and so therefore we must use our precious time to fulfill our dreams, perform our duty and achieve our greatness

As a teacher, I tried to teach lessons to reach more than what is in the book. It is called life lessons – these things that guide us from what is right and what is wrong.

According to an Arabian proverb: “A fool may be known by five things: anger, without cause; change, without progress; speech, without profit; inquiry, without object; putting trust in a stranger, and mistaking foes for friends.”

Let us track these six things through the history of our class.

Anger, without Cause.

We saw how the relationships grow, and yet it stumbles back because of the things that we do and say, and include our emotions taking over our mind. This is what we learned in “The YM Evidence”. Sometimes, even though we are very angry, we must think that there must be some reason. If ever that you Speak when you are angry – and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret. The things is – when one is angry, we get too much emotional, thus believing ourselves that we are doing what we think is right. We do not think of the consequences.

Change, without Progress.

After I gave your first ever quiz, I asked you why most of you failed. Some answered because “sanay sa style ni Sir Emer”. This is the first time that I would publicly acknowledge that I hate being compared with Sir Emer – the great, the best and the funniest. But I realized after some time, we must all come to sense that we change, that the only permanent thing in this world is change. Then, without realizing it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day; of course, you achieve quite a lot in the course of time. Anyone can do this, it costs nothing and is certainly very helpful. Whoever doesn’t know it must learn and find by experience that a quiet conscience makes one strong.

Putting Trust in a Stranger.

In the episode “Hunt for the Sneaky Rat”, where we learned one lesson: TRUST. It is one thing that we should treasure. You should never forsake the trust that your friend gives. It is always hard to earn. Do not put your trust in a bad companion nor even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.

Speech, without Profit.

In a prelude to the previous episode “Chu-Chu Train”, we learned that making a statement that would hurt others is beneficial to no one. In this episode, we saw a bizarre twist, a plot that nobody knew would come. But beyond that twist, within that event, we learn that we must speak only if we can use it for good purpose and intention, because is speech is power: use it to persuade, to convert, to compel.

Mistaking Foes for Friends.

In most days, the boys would be mocking and making fun of each other or listening to music, meanwhile the girl are chatting to each other, and using cell phone and make-up. But the glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it’s the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friend. Never put down your friend, for your friend will be your ultimate treasure.

There, we have gone back in time. We have tracked our time. There may be more stories to tell, more episodes have passed, and more memories to share. We may never tell all, but we may share it with each other again, some time, when we see each other again.

I always fear change. But the follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn’t commit when he had the opportunity. The key to change… is to let go of fear.

But before we swerve on our different paths, let me just stress my thoughts that I would like to impart to you. First, a big THANK YOU! Thank you for all the things you’ve done for me, and for yourselves. It’s been ten months that we’ve been together. We discover the uniqueness within us. Thank you for the problems, pressures, indolency, and heartaches you’ve given me. Thank you also for being a good friend, for the camaraderie, laughs, and smiles to me. Always remember that even if I will no longer be your teacher, I can always offer my shoulder whenever you would like to lean on it. Like I had said to some, “Ang problema, hindi dapat sinasarili, dapat inilalabas”.

Second, SORRY for all the things that might have hurt you. I may never be a perfect teacher, because I am not a perfect person. I might have been unreasonable, and unruly at times; I might have shouted, and affronted some of you, but that is one way of teaching. And I will still do that even after years of teaching. That is because I care and concerned for you well-being.

Third, I will surely miss everyone! The smiles and frowns, whispering and shouting, jokes followed by sweet laughter, the tears of joy and disappointment, and of course, the endless after-dismissal talks in Bridget, or in our corridors.

Lastly, I would like to say that I am very PROUD of you, and your batch. Your faces will never be the same again, but the person that I have known will be in my heart. I have been a part of your life, and you in mine. You will carry not only my name as your teacher, but my heart that I have poured unto you. If after ten years, you will become one of the respected lawyer, doctor or anybody, proudly I will say, THAT IS MY STUDENT! If, after the years, you failed, I will be the saddest person. I will come back and finish what I have started, because I know that I have never finished what I need to finish. If you fail, mine is not only double, but more than what we can count.

Bridget, even though we’ve changed and we’re all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we’ll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much, to the point where we’re still friends.

You have been precious to me. Nothing will replace you in my heart, for you have been my first batch of students. Sa lahat ng pasakit, problema, sakit ng puso, at lahat-lahat, hindi ko pinagsisisihan na kayo ang naging estudyante ko. One more thing, if ever we see each other, in school, or in any other place in this world, I would appreciate a smile and a simple Hello! from you, because that is the same thing I would do.

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Lemark Viloria is a 20-year old graduate of the Philippine Normal University with the degree of Bachelor in Secondary Education Major in History. He currently resides at Parañaque City and teaches at Immaculate Heart of Mary College.